I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.
3: A Curious Thing
Emma straightened up her meager belongings in her new home to the best of her ability while her thoughts were haunted by last night with Regina. She had never wished she owned many things, but right now, she wished she had something to her name to distract her from these damned thoughts. She would give her left foot for a bookshelf to build.
Sitting in Granny's diner and chatting with Ruby until a brunch rush took up Ruby's time had opened the can of worms in Emma's head. Not only did Ruby continue to encourage her to take Regina up on her offer to cook for her, because she swore Regina's cooking was like manna from heaven, but she kept insisting it was not an invitation Regina made to just anyone. For whatever reason, that meant she should definitely take it… and report back, Ruby had maybe joked. After all, Regina did not invite many people into her home for a meal, so Ruby was curious what happened at such an event. She had used the term "event," like it was a red carpet affair, which seemed obnoxious and made Emma not want to do it.
The biggest thing scratching at Emma's brain was if Regina did not make the offer to most people, why Emma? Was it to belittle and degrade Emma even more? To rub her nose in how much of a failure she was at being an omega that an alpha could cook better than she did? The very idea set her hair on end.
No alpha had the ability to cook better than she did, right? It should not be possible for her to be such an awful omega that an alpha had any chance to outcook her, right? This should not bother her as much as it did! But, the whispers in the back of her mind… you're kinda shit at this, you know that?
She tried to shake it away, shake Regina away, shake more than Regina away, but it was in her brain. Fucking alphas always in her brain. She did not want to devote so much time to someone who did not deserve it, someone who disrespected her life, and someone she did not care for, yet here she was.
Sighing, Emma rubbed her chin and glanced out of the window, eyes falling onto Regina's house, a mansion like every other house on this street. She would probably see Regina often since they were neighbors. This would make things awkward, and uncomfortable. She did not want to be uncomfortable in the place that was meant to be her haven, her fresh start. She needed to do something and she hated what she had to do.
She needed to satisfy her curiosity and she needed to be sure she would exist peacefully in this town. This was supposed to be her home. She craved "home."
That settled things. She eased on her boots, grabbed her favorite red leather jacket, and trotted her way over to Regina's place. She rang the bell, hoping Regina would answer the door. It would not surprise her if Regina left her freezing on the porch, possibly watching through the front window. After a long moment, she heard the footsteps tapping toward the door.
"Should I bother opening the door?" Regina asked, voice muffled by the barrier between them.
Emma shivered. "Please. It's cold out here."
"You could solve this problem by going home. You've made it quite clear you don't want my company."
Emma groaned. Of course, she's gonna make this difficult. "I know I've been acting like an asshole. Can we talk about it?"
"So, you can try to kick me out of my own house?"
Emma sighed. "I don't want to fight with you." I only want my brain to shut up, so I can move on with my life, and write my fucking book.
"Could have fooled me not even a day ago."
Emma held her hands up, even though she was not sure Regina saw the posture through the small peephole. "Yes, my bad. But, you were rude. You came into my house and insulted my cooking."
"You took it as an insult."
Emma sucked her teeth. No way in Hell was Regina going to pretend she was not being rude. "It was an insult and you know it."
Regina snorted. "Or I might be confident in my skills compared to what you served me."
Emma resisted the urge to kick the door. She was trying to make things right. "Look, I'm trying here. Can you at least open the door, so we can talk face-to-face?"
"To insult my intelligence to my face?"
"Do you want to be at each other's throats whenever we see each other?"
"I'm mature enough to ignore you."
Emma scoffed. "I get the feeling that's a lie."
Regina cracked the door, if only to give Emma a proper glare. "Is that why you're here? You don't want to be an awful neighbor? I don't think you have it in you to pull it off, considering you're already failing at it."
Emma ground her teeth. "If you can pull it off, it can't be that hard." Fucking asshole.
"Once again, you're making me wonder why I should bother trying with you. You're at my door, wasting my time, and being rude."
Emma took a deep breath and let out a long exhale. "Okay, look, I just want to try one more time. I really don't want to be a bad neighbor. I'm trying to start over here. I want to have a positive and good time. I also don't want to have enemies if it's not necessary. It's tiring to always have to be on guard." She left that life behind and had no desire to recreate it. It would loom over her anyway, whisper in her ear, lurk in the shadows, and tap her on the shoulder whenever she thought she was alone.
Regina was silent for a long moment. "Yes, it is."
Emma fought down a smile. "See, we can agree on something."
"What do you want from me, Miss Swan?" Regina asked, patience gone from such a simple phrase, as if she did not want to agree on anything with Emma, not even what to call her.
For some reason, being addressed as "Miss Swan" made Emma want to wince, but she fought off the reaction. It was weird. "I want to take you up on your offer for dinner. I wasn't in the right position to invite you over. I should've waited, so I'm hoping your dinner can be us trying one more time and then it'll give me a chance to do it right when I'm ready."
Regina stared at her for a long moment, considering all of this. She would not blame Regina if she shut the door in Emma's face. Regina really did not have anything to lose here. Things probably would not be uncomfortable for her. She would go on with her life, being used to this town, and not having to bother with the omega across the street.
"There will be no more chances after this, Emma," Regina warned her with a stern finger in the air.
Emma gasped, not expecting that. "You're serious?" Okay, don't blow this, Swan.
"I already extended the invitation, so it would be rude to take it back now. Beyond that, you have a week to mentally prepare for this, which will hopefully give you a chance to put the chip on your shoulder away. We don't have to be enemies. There's no reason for it."
Emma nodded with more energy than she had mustered in years. "Yes, that's why I want to try this." And to see if an alpha really had the talent to cook, as well as what was so special about Regina's invitation. This was like discovering a new species or even proving an urban legend.
"I'm serious."
Emma nodded more. "Understood. I appreciate you trying again and keeping the invite open."
Regina looked her up and down. "I have to assume you're under a lot of stress from moving, which is why we keep having this back and forth. With luck, it'll change within a week."
Blowing out a long breath, Emma ran her hand through her hair. "I hope so, too. I don't think I realize how much stress I've been under." She meant that. She had been so relieved to be on her own that she had not taken into account how taxing this whole restart was. She had reset her entire life, even though this was not the first time, it was a lot. Maybe it was because this was her choice whereas most times, her life was blown up by some outside force.
"Moving to a new town, even if it's for good reasons, will induce stress. Now, I have things to do and I'm sure you're cold. I'll see you in a week for dinner," Regina said.
"Uh… okay. Bye." Emma was not happy to be dismissed, but was not in the mood to start another pointless fight. Besides, she had things to do and she intruded on Regina's day. Now was a good place to leave things.
Emma turned her back, hearing the door shut. She had a week to make sure she did not mess things up. She had a week to master being on her own and not make sweeping accusations of alphas. This might be a long week.
-8-8-8-8-
Regina sighed as Saturday sneaked up on her after a long week. It was often a long week. Storybrooke had more trouble than a so-called sleepy, fishing town should. She should have a bigger budget and a couple more deputies to make things work, but the mayor refused to green light any more money. Now, she did not have the time to relax as she had to play hostess. What a pain.
Why was she even bothering with this? She should have left things alone from when Emma kicked her out. She would have been justified, except she believed Emma was stressed, which probably contributed to her not acting how she would usually act if given a chance. It seemed like more than simple moving stress, too, and she was so familiar with that situation.
"No, you have too many things to do, so don't think about Mother and how she was so certain you'd fail," Regina told herself, aloud, as she always needed to hear the words to get Mother out of her head before memories took root.
In the afternoon, she prepared for hosting. She did not want to go all out or Emma might take offense to it, as she seemed sensitive to everything. She also would not make the same meal, as she had originally planned, to show Emma that she did make the dish better. That would be petty, which she had been aiming for after their little dust-up. She would not stand by and allow Emma to kick her out with no revenge in the works.
She would put that behind her for now. Instead, she would make lasagna, as it was a popular dish whenever she was pressured into participating in some town event with food.
Next was the matter of finding the right wine. Nothing too haughty, as she did not want it to be perceived as some kind of chess move. They were done with games and she did not need Emma to assume she was poking fun again.
Dinner was on, wine picked, so now she had to make the table. It was weird to host one person at her table, which was picked to fit at least six. A few dinner parties since moving to Storybrooke, rubbing elbows with the town elite, made the table the right purchase, but she only ate there for those sort of social gatherings. As one person, she often ate at her couch or in her office, so she could work as well. It seemed like purposely creating distance to set up the table.
Mother growled in her head the second she dared think of having dinner at the coffee table. That was no way to treat a guest. Not to mention, she had nerve being offended when Emma served her dinner on the floor. You were offended, but you gave it a chance. You didn't let her know you were bothered by things until she said something. The coffee table was a step up, but still not quite civilized in her opinion. What else was there to do?
Her eyes fell onto the kitchen and the counter that separated it from the dining room. She tapped her chin with her index finger. "That might do, but would it be weird?" She was not sure, but it was better than the massive dining room table.
She had to clear the counter of her fruit bowl and some mail, but it should work. Now, she had to figure out what to wear. Emma had already seen her in her house clothes, but she was not sure it even registered in Emma's panicked mind when she came to accept the dinner invite. Still, she would not be able to sit through anything with an essential stranger in her house clothes.
She tried another dress, thinking it might help keep Emma calm, as it was not standard alpha attire, and part of Emma's stress was definitely related to Regina being an alpha. She would not ask what that was about.
Regina barely had time to get on her makeup and spray on perfume before her doorbell rang. It was the moment of truth. She looked into the mirror, took a deep breath, and gave herself a pointed look. Be kind. She made her way to the door. Emma stood there, looking way more put together than she had last week.
Regina had not seen much of Emma since that first weekend. Emma was probably busy with getting her home in order. Regina had glanced across the street each time she left for work in the morning and came back in the evening, just in case. She was not sure in case of what, but she did it. She had not glimpsed Emma, as the curtains were often drawn. Adelaide had tried to offer gossip when Regina delivered her cookies in the middle of the week, but Regina had been called away on an emergency before deciding if she wanted to hear or not.
"Hey, um, I wasn't sure what to bring," Emma said with an awkward shrug as she held up a bottle of alcohol. A peace offering or an attempt to show she could be polite if she had the chance.
Regina forced out a smile, as this was quite a feat for a person who cursed her out twice a week ago. "This is fine as long as you don't expect us to drink this during dinner."
Emma shrugged, but squirmed, possibly fighting down another rage-fueled panic. "I wasn't sure what you made. I know —"
Regina held up a hand to stave off any explanations. "It's fine. I made lasagna, but I also already picked out wine. It didn't occur to me that you'd bring something because you never asked if you should bring something."
Emma scoffed. "Regina, even I know you can't show up to someone's house without something." A joke?
Regina allowed an amused smile to settle on her face. "Oh, and here it is I thought you were completely feral." She waved Emma in. "Hence, you just standing outside in the cold."
Emma scoffed. "You have to invite me in. Again, even I know that. But, I am almost completely feral." She marched into the house and Regina shut the door behind her.
"I imagine this to be true." Regina faced Emma and stopped her from going deeper into the house yet. "Please, take off your shoes at the door."
Emma nodded. "I should've known you had a no-shoes house."
"I keep a tidy home, yes."
Emma chuckled, but toed out of her boots. She paused for a moment when she got out of one. Regina was not sure what to make of it, but Emma's brow wrinkled and then she shook off whatever it was that made her stop. Regina took the bottle of alcohol off her hands as this happened. She led Emma to the kitchen with Emma glancing around the house as they made their way through.
"We're going to dine at the counter," Regina said. "I think the table is too big for two."
Emma nodded as her eyes drifted to the table. "You're probably right. Of course, your house is big in general. Is it only you here?"
"It is."
"You don't get lonely?" Emma asked as she eased herself into a chair.
"Not usually, no. I'm not a fan of people," Regina replied. Not to mention, she did not spend much time here, which she was glad for. She would probably feel the size of it if she had to spend more time there.
"I get that. People suck."
Regina smiled. "I wouldn't put it that way, but yes." She put the alcohol away in a cabinet she had just for these sorts of things and then turned her attention to dinner. "I made lasagna. Is that all right?"
"That's fine. I'm not very picky when it comes to food."
Regina stopped herself from making a quip about that and took the lasagna out of the oven. She plated Emma a square. She was not sure what sort of portions Emma ate, but there was enough for more if Emma desired such. In fact, she would force Emma to take the leftovers home, as there was no way she would finish the pan anytime soon. Well, if this went well, she would give the leftovers to Emma.
She eased the food in front of Emma and then focused on her own food. She did not eat much. She put the plate in front of the empty seat and then poured them wine.
"Wait, that's all you're going to eat?" Emma asked, eyes on Regina's plate.
"Yes, is that a problem?" Regina countered with an arched eyebrow.
"No, no, no. It's just…" Emma sighed. "I don't want you to think I'm hung up on you being an alpha. It's just I've got a lot of experience with alphas…"
Regina nodded as she moved to sit down. They were close enough for their legs to touch in the chairs, but they angled their knees to make sure that did not happen. The scent of vanilla and jasmine tickled Regina's nose. How did that smell manage to sneak under the aroma of dinner?
"Your life has been shaped by alphas. You're not alone in that. I was brought up to remain in tight control of myself to control my surroundings as best I could. Diet was among those lessons."
Emma squinted as she took that information in. "Lessons? Like etiquette lessons? For alphas?"
"There's always lessons and rules and expectations in society, Emma, regardless of status."
Emma twisted her mouth up, literally chewing on the words. "But…" She shook her head. "No, I don't understand." She turned her attention to her food. "If there are rules… should you be cooking?"
Regina scoffed. "As an alpha, of course not. Not like this, anyway. I mean, if I was a master chef, then it's fine."
Emma nodded. "I never realized most master chefs are alphas. What the hell is that about?"
"I've never bothered to ask. I have no interest in being a master chef." Her mother might have approved of that and to hell with that.
Emma cut into her lasagna. She took a bit and her eyes lit up. "Oh, wow. Are you sure you aren't?"
A bright smile flashed onto Regina's face before she managed to catch it. "No, I'm built mostly from spite. So, I tend to excel at things people say I shouldn't do."
Emma smiled and shoved some more food in her mouth. Her eyes twinkled once more as she chewed and enjoyed it. "Can I be you when I grow up?"
Regina laughed even more. "Ten minutes ago you hated my guts."
Emma blew a raspberry. "That was ten minutes ago when I had no idea you cook like the ingredients were sent from heaven and put together by a true divine being." She took another mouthful of lasagna and hummed as she chewed. "How does it taste like this? And, that little kick in it. Just enough heat to make you pause to have to savor it. This is amazing." Emma went in for more, as if to punctuate her words.
Regina was used to her cooking being complimented, even by people who hated her. Something was endearing about the words coming from Emma. "I can show you how to make it if you want."
Emma yelped and almost choked. She gasped, coughed, and then saved herself with a large gulp of wine. Regina waited for her to gather herself.
"Are you all right?" Regina asked. "After all, it wouldn't look good for me for my neighbor to die at my kitchen counter."
Emma managed a wet laugh. She had to wipe her eyes. "I'm fine. Just wasn't expecting that."
"So, you don't want to learn how to make the lasagna?"
"Yes, I wanna learn! I am more than willing to learn at the feet of the master if I can have food that tastes like this. I mean, I'm not picky, as long as something isn't going to make me immediately sick, I'm okay with it, but I know quality enough to know I'd love to be able to cook like this."
"It's not that hard, especially if you already know how to cook."
"I mean, I thought I did, but tasting this, I'm not sure. I might be a shit omega considering this."
Regina shook her head. "I think first, you should stop leaning so much into gender roles. You should be yourself. Figure out who you are." This was a lesson that took Regina a long time to learn. Hell, she was still learning, actually. Cooking was one of her first steps. She loved it, regardless of her sex status.
Emma sighed. "That's what I'm trying to do. That's part of what this move is about. Who am I and what are my dreams?"
Regina sipped her wine. "I think you'll be fine if you relax and take your time. It's helped me, considering those are some of the reasons I moved here as well."
Emma's eyes lit up. "Yeah?"
"Yes."
"And you're serious about the cooking thing?" Emma finished off her lasagna.
Regina held in an exhausted exhale. She did not have time for that, but she offered and that was the rub. She let her mouth get ahead of her, as she tended to do. Now, she had to do it or she would be a liar, which was not a good look for the chief of police. Fine.
"Of course," Regina replied with a forced smile. She would regret this, she was so sure. "Do you want more?"
With an eager nod, Emma smiled. "Yes, please."
"Oh, so you do have manners." Regina smiled and got up to cut Emma a new square. While it might be a pain in the ass to teach Emma, Regina would worry about that later. Right now, things seemed to be doing well, which she had not expected.
-8-8-8-8-
Emma left Regina's house as if it was a dream. They got along. It was awkward after they started actually eating, well, Regina started eating. Emma went through her second helping before Regina remembered she had food in front of her.
They talked and ate for hours, to the point Regina also had seconds. Beyond the amazing lasagna, Regina also baked and made an apple pie for dessert. She let Emma take what they had not eaten, insisting she would never eat it, while Emma clearly enjoyed it since she had two pieces. Regina sent her home with the leftovers — both dinner and dessert. It was impossible to decline. Ruby had been more right than either of them would have ever guessed.
It was like they might be able to be… friends. Friends with an alpha, an alpha who had not tried to dominate the conversation or lord over her. It was not something she was accustomed to. She might be able to get used to it, get used to being on friendly terms with Regina.
She sat at home on the floor because she still did not have any furniture, her laptop on her lap, and a slice of pie next to her as she opened her notes. She had an outline for her book, but she wanted to flesh it out a little more before she started writing. Words came easier to her tonight than it did any other time she tried to do this for the week. She was not sure why, but maybe it was because she felt at ease for the first time all week. There was not a ball of dread in her gut. She was comfortable. She was not sure what to make of that.
More bizarre was being comfortable around an alpha. She was not sure the last time that happened, but she would welcome it should it happen again. This move might turn out to be everything she thought it would be. Before she realized it, she was smiling. She noticed the expression in the reflection of her laptop's cracked screen.
When was the last time she smiled for no reason? Probably years. This one only made her smile more. She worked well into the night, content and secure.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: lessons and the reason Emma moved to Storybrooke.